Practical Bibliographic Guide
For the scholar of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies there are a number of ways to locate a particular text or type of text on the internet. This page will summarize the most useful collections and provide tips on their use. In an attempt to provide the most useful information, this list will be updated as new resources become available or old ones revised.
As with any field, the most important information when searching for a Tibetan text is title and author. With Tibetan texts, publication information is less important because either it is not available or several different publications of the same work exist. The names of translators is important if the work was originally Indian or Chinese. Information about the genre (hagiography, history, birth-story, etc.) and/or the collection (bka’ ’gyur, bstan ’gyur, etc.) can also be helpful in locating a text.
It is also important to know the transliteration scheme used in each catalog. For instance, when searching the UVa Library catalog (Virgo), one should be aware that the Tibetan letters, ng and ny along with the Sanskrit retroflex N, are all represented as “n” for searching purposes. Thus, to find texts containing the phrase “gsang ba’i snying po”, one would type “gsan ba’i snin po”. Finally, the most useful piece of information is an ID number within any of the catalogs: a THDL ID number, a TBRC resource number, or a Library of Congress “Tib” number. For instance, THDL catalogs use two- or three-letter siglas followed by a sequection ID number (e.g., Tb.108). With such IDs a text’s information can be rapidly located.
Searchable Collections
At present, this list covers the THDL Literature Collections, the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center, the Library of Congress, and the University of Virginia Library. However, users are invited to contact us at thdllanglit@virginia.edu should they be aware of other resources omitted here.
The Literature Collections of Tibetan & Himalayan Digital Library
THDL has several digital catalogs available on-line. The largest of these is the Collected Tantras of the Ancients. These can be searched by text ID or keyword in the form below. From within the catalogs, the advanced search option allows for a number of other ways of searching this collection. The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center has provided us with scans for three editions of the Collected Tantras which have been directly tied to the catalogs for viewing. Click here for more information about searching THDL’s Collected Tantras catalog.
The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center
TBRC is a non-profit organization devoted to the digital preservation of Tibetan texts. Their web site covers a wide range of genres and has an extensive database. The database can be searched directly from TBRC's home page at http://www.tbrc.org/, under the “On-line Database” heading. The search engine allows for location by resource ID or by keyword. It will also approximate closest equivalents to keyword so the exact spelling is not necessary. Thus, searching for “ka gyu” will result in hits of “bka’ rgyud”. TBRC has several cross-referenced databases so that one can find a work either by search for its title or author. Some of these works have been scanned and connected to the database so that certain texts can be viewed on line. TBRC resource codes are composed of a descriptive prefix for the type of resource followed by a number. The prefix “P” stands for person, while “W” stands for work. For instance, the record for the rNying-ma scholar kLong-chen-pa is P1583, while Mi-pham’s dbu ma rgyan gyi rnam bshad is W5023. These are just two of their prefixes. For a full description of TBRC’s resource codes, see their help page. TBRC's massive holdings of scanned images of Tibetan texts are available for purchase at a very modest price; one can also request unscanned works be scanned for a modest fee - please see their Web site for details.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has an extensive collection of Tibetan works. These are generally not available for lending but can be viewed in their reading room. However, their catalog is a good way to locate a title, which may be available from another institution. The Library of Congress and other library systems do not use standard Wylie transliteration but use the Library of Congress’ own transliteration known as LC-ALA. To use the LOC catalog for locating Tibetan texts, go to their search page. Then, select “Set Search Limits”. In the “Language” box, pick Tibetan and click on “Set Search Limit”. One can then enter a Tibetan title or part of a title and search. (Note: In accordance with their distinctive transliteration scheme, the Tibetan letters “ny” and “ng” are both represented by “n” for searching purposes.)
University of Virginia Library Searches (Virgo)
A few Universities have Tibetan collections, which are included in their electronic catalogs. The University of Virginia has one of the largest and best maintained collections, which can be accessed through its on-line catalog, Virgo. Virgo is accessible from the UVa Library’s home page at http://www.virginia.edu/lib.html. One can search a title by entering some part of it into the “Enter term(s)” box. (Note: Most university libraries, including UVa’s use the Library of Congress transliteration scheme.) For quicker response times, one can choose the advanced search option and specify the language as Tibetan. Click here to open a Virgo search page in a separate window.